A Prayer For the One Who Feels Forsaken

For the one who feels forsaken:

Jesus has felt forsaken too. In Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, Jesus feels death creeping in while hanging on the cross. He quotes Psalm 22:1 as He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Let that sink in.

Jesus, the person who is unequivocally closest to God and one with Him, felt forsaken.

When your world crashes down and there seems to be no saving grace, no fire escape, and no one to shield you from the fire, cry out to God just as Jesus and the Psalmist did. When you feel like God is far from you and elusive, don’t be discouraged. Don’t pull away.

Lean in. Reach out. Call out to Him. After all, He is the God who sees you and hears you (Genesis 16). Never will He leave you, never will He forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Hold fast to the truths you know about God, even when your feelings don’t match what you know. Repeat them to yourself daily.

Our God is the one who hears, the One who sees, our Rock (Psalm 18:2), our anchor (Hebrews 6:19), our shelter (Psalm 61:4), our stronghold (Psalm 9:9), and most importantly, our redeemer (Job 19:25, Psalm 78:35). He hears you, He sees you, and He will not leave you. I pray you are awakened to God’s nearness in the days and weeks to come.

A Poem and a Prayer

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

You are the One who hears and the One who sees.

I am not You and can neither hear nor see,

Please God, remind me that you are with me.

Even in loss, isolation, despair and grief

Please guard my heart and my mind against the thief.

I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from?

I am half waiting, half drowning, and I am feeling so numb.

God, I know you’re there. Please hold me tight.

This fallen world has come for me like a wolf in the night.

When I fall into despair, feeling alone and deserted,

Never leave me nor forsake me, in you I have trusted.

You are my rock and my shelter, my anchor at sea

You promise mornings with joy, please grant that for me.

In this muck and this mire lead me through by the hand

Reminding me daily I’m not alone in this land.

Sarah Padilla is a mom, wife, and dance teacher from Magnolia, Texas. She’s been married to her high school sweetheart, Kyle, for nearly eight years. They have a two-year-old son named Kirk and two babes in heaven.

We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.